DRAM Soars 886%, Driving Global PC Price Hikes
As the electronics industry shifts toward high-margin chips, especially those for AI servers, memory semiconductor costs are skyrocketing. Japanese PC manufacturers are now looking to pass these rising expenses on to consumers through price adjustments.
Tokyo-based custom PC maker MouseComputer announced that it will raise prices in January 2026. From December 23, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the company temporarily paused online sales due to the unexpected surge in memory costs. MouseComputer reported receiving more orders than anticipated and noted that the final price adjustment is still under consideration.
Sharp subsidiary Dynabook also stated that rising DRAM prices have "exceeded what our business can absorb," and the company is weighing price increases. According to MM Research Institute, Dynabook accounted for 9.6% of Japan's PC shipments between April and September 2025.
Historically, PC price increases often align with performance improvements in key components. Solid-state drives (SSDs) based on DRAM and NAND flash contain multiple chips, accounting for roughly 30% of a finished PC's cost. For Japanese manufacturers, a weaker yen has further amplified component costs.
Memory prices continue to climb. As of December 25, DDR4 8Gb DRAM spot prices reached around $14.10, an 886% increase from the previous year-end. Bulk contract prices from October to December rose about 80% compared with July to September.
The DRAM market remains highly concentrated, with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron controlling approximately 90% of supply. To meet the surging demand for AI servers in data centers and other high-margin sectors, these companies are increasingly shifting toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and reducing or halting DDR4 production.
Taiwanese manufacturers are working to ramp up output, but supply shortages persist. Industry insiders reveal that executives from major U.S. tech companies, including Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, have engaged directly with DRAM makers to secure allocations.
AI server SSD shipments are also robust. Demand for high-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) in data centers remains strong, and a shift from HDDs to SSDs is further driving up prices, according to an electronics trade professional.
In the October–December quarter, wholesale prices for TLC (triple-level cell) NAND flash were approximately $46.60 per 256GB module and $87.40 per 512GB module—up roughly 40% from the July–September quarter.
Japanese NAND and SSD giant Kioxia emphasized during its Q3 earnings in November that it will "focus on data center and enterprise markets, prioritizing profitability and growth." This suggests limited PC supply, likely pushing prices higher.
Global PC makers' pricing strategies are now under close watch. According to U.S.-based IDC, Lenovo, HP, and Dell collectively held about 60% of the global PC market in Q3 2025. Lenovo plans to maintain competitiveness and margins through price adjustments and cost management over the medium to long term, while HP has yet to disclose its approach.
Omdia senior consulting director Akira Minamikawa noted, "PC makers may need to increase prices by 10%–20% to remain profitable, and price hikes are expected to continue."
It's not just PCs that could see higher costs. TrendForce highlights that iPhone memory components are projected to rise sharply, potentially prompting Apple to reconsider its pricing strategy for new models.
